


Reconnect

by KatsukisKatsudon



Category: Free!
Genre: Barista Haru, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Swim coach and future teacher Mako, Tokyo AU, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-04 17:51:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15152471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatsukisKatsudon/pseuds/KatsukisKatsudon
Summary: But this, Makoto thinks, is the perfect time to reconnect with Haru. To get back into their old habits, get back into talking about anything and everything. In a pool. A place where they have spent years connecting and reconnecting with each other. Perhaps one day a pool in a leisure centre during the afternoon will be replaced by a beach under the stars. But for now, it's time to take small steps, see where this shall lead them.





	Reconnect

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all, this little one-shot is part of a MakoHaru gift exchange on Tumblr hosted by anunyun and datheetjoella. This rather quick oneshot is for l1nkp1t, who asked for a fic with Tokyo theme or an AU. I tried my best ah

The bell on the cafè door jingled as it swung open, leaves blowing in as Makoto caught the handle at the last second, avoiding it from slamming. Brushing down his clothes and picking a leaf out of his hair, Makoto smiled as he walked towards the front counter.

"Morning Haru, it's so windy today!" Makoto exclaimed to the young barista as he set his thermos down on the counter. Haruka took the thermos and looked at Makoto, eyebrows raised.

"Same order right?"

Makoto let out a breathy laugh as he nodded. "See? Don't even have to say my order out loud", Makoto said as he placed his hands in his jacket pockets. His order was always the same: regular white Vienna, no sugar and a chocolate muffin to go. However, during the Summer months he'd experiment with every smoothie on the menu. While Haruka tapped Makoto's order in, Makoto rummaged for his wallet and managed to pay Haruka the exact amount.

"How's your job here?" Makoto asked as he put his wallet in his jean pockets. Haruka shrugged and folded his arms. "Fine. We aren't as busy in the morning as we are in the afternoon. Lunch rush, you know?" Haruka's reply was brief and his tone was somewhat bored and uninterested.

Ever since following Makoto to Tokyo and attending university with him, Haruka has been broke. All of the money they brought with them as well as some money from their parents has gone straight to their university fees and their apartment rent. While being a cafè barista isn't exactly Haruka's dream job.....well, they were hiring and Haruka was desperate. He'd much rather work in the kitchen, but they were only hiring baristas and wait staff.

"So Haru, when do you get off work tomorrow? I'm not coaching, so we have an entire pool section to ourselves", Makoto stated, raising his voice in order to be heard over the loud coffee machine. Makoto coaches a swimming class for children when he's not attending lectures and hopes it's enough work experience to earn him a future spot as an elementary teacher. Haruka sighs and wordlessly pours coffee into Makoto's thermos before handing it back to him.

"I asked for a double shift tomorrow. We're running low on groceries and you won't eat the canned mackerel", Makoto opened his mouth to protest but immediately shut it. Well, Haruka isn't wrong about Makoto wanting to have a more diverse plate.

"That's fine, I'm pretty sure I have a paper I should probably work on anyway", Makoto dismissed Haruka's words with a wave of his hand and a smile, although he mentally frowned. "I should head off now, the lecture would start in half an hour. Bye Haru!" Makoto called out over his shoulder as he exited the cafè and dashed off to catch a cab to the university. Haruka, now alone, folded his arms on the counter and sighed as he rested his head on his arms. He and Makoto have rarely had any time to themselves thanks to university and part-time work, which Haruka is finding very frustrating and depressing.

* * *

 

Makoto sat cross-legged on the living room floor of their shared apartment, file open in front of him and spilling sheets of paper. It's still in the process of being furnished, but it doesn't seem as though neither Makoto nor Haruka will get around to unpacking boxes and assembling the cheap furniture they've picked out together (with some help from their real-estate-agent-in-training Kisumi). Haruka emerged from the kitchen with a steaming plate of takoyaki and edamame which he placed down next to Makoto. Looking up from his papers, Makoto smiled at Haruka as he thanked him and accepted the chopsticks Haruka handed him.

"Papers due soon?" Haruka called out as he went to the kitchen to retrieve his own plate and chopsticks. "End of the week!" Makoto replied. Returning to the living room, Haruka sat down next to Makoto and after a quick " _itadakismasu_ ", the two began to eat. They ate their dinner in silence for a few seconds before Haruka broke the silence.

"You're working yourself too hard and haven't been sleeping enough". It was a statement, a fact even. Makoto stopped chewing and looked up from his plate, bangs shielding his eyes. Reaching a hand out, Haruka gently swept Makoto's bangs out of the way to reveal his eyes. Makoto's usually lively green eyes are now currently bloodshot with dark circles under them.

"Makoto, you need to sleep more. You haven't got a class tomorrow, so stay and sleep longer", Haruka's voice was soft yet firm and his fingers are still threaded in Makoto's hair. Makoto remained quiet but nodded at Haruka's words.

"Fine, I'll stay. But only if you don't have any more double shifts this week".

* * *

 

Makoto awoke the next morning to an empty apartment. After checking Haruka's room, the bathroom and kitchen, Makoto then remembered that while he has the day off today, Haruka doesn't. It's eerily silent and the apartment has a feeling of lonliness painted upon it. Sighing, Makoto filled the bathtub and when it was ready, stripped and stepped inside. He laughed to himself when it occurred to him that this is what Haruka would be doing right now if he were home.

Haruka.

As he ran his fingers through the soap suds, Makoto couldn't help but feel sad at the thought and truth that he rarely spends time with Haruka now. Not just eating together on the floor while discussing university and work, but actually being with each other and discussing literally anything as long as it doesn't involve work of any kind. When was the last time the two went out for a run? Or grabbed a bite to eat in one of Tokyo's many food outlets? Or even went for a swim? It's as though their busy schedules are slowly pulling them apart, wedging between them to avoid any non-work-related business to happen.

Makoto continued to swirl his hands through the soapy water in slow movements, staying in the tub as more of a way to pass the time than to actually clean himself. On the counter by the sink, his phone vibrated. Carefully easing himself out of the tub and roughly scrubbing his hands dry, Makoto checked his inbox. A text from Haruka appeared and Makoto's brows raised. Haruka rarely texts.

_Late afternoon run tomorrow?_

With a genuine smile, Makoto replied immediately with a " _sure_ " followed by a thumbs up emoji.

* * *

 

"You still aren't sleeping enough Makoto, I can see those dark circles", Haruka stated in an unimpressed tone as he looked up from tying the laces of his sneakers. Makoto simply blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, admitting defeat. "There's no getting past you is there Haru?"

"None", Haruka said with a small lift of his chin. Grabbing the house keys off the kitchen counter, Haruka made his way out of the apartment, Makoto following behind and stepping aside to allow Haruka to lock the door. The pair left the apartment and made their way to Yoyogi Park, stretching upon arrival. It's been a while since their last jog, so it's unsurprising if they're the slightest bit out of shape. They started off with an easy, relaxed pace, building up speed every few minutes.

"Hey now, don't get ahead of yourself", Makoto laughed when Haruka managed to get two steps ahead of him. Haruka simply put on a smug expression, but slowed down anyway to let Makoto catch up so that they are evenly paced again. They jogged until the sky began to turn pink and they eventually stopped at a park bench so they could rest and watch the sunset.

"It's beautiful", Haruka stated and Makoto stopped panting and looked up at the sky. "Hm? Oh! Yeah, yeah the sky is pretty". They were quiet and Makoto began to feel annoyed. They finally have time to themselves, yet they couldn't think of anything to say. However, Haruka broke the silence.

"I've missed you Makoto. Everyday I speak to you less and less because while one of us is free, the other is working or we both have papers due. I came to Tokyo with you because......", Haruka stopped talking, his normally calm face now with an unreadable expression. Makoto nudged him softly, prompting him to continue, because _no_. No way is Haruka going to stop right there. Not when his thoughts are identical to Makoto's. Exhaling, Haruka looked down at his feet as he continued to speak. "....because I didn't want you to leave", Haruka's words tumbled out of his mouth and he buried his face in his hands. Makoto simply gasped, unable to form any words. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Makoto shifted over so he was sitting slightly closer to Haruka.

"Our parents always said we were joined at the hip and they're not wrong you know. Even if you didn't follow me here to Tokyo Haru, I hate the thought of leaving you behind...I thought you knew that...", Makoto's voice is quiet and he didn't realise that Haruka's hand has stealthily slipped into his, holding on loosely, cautious. The park is slowly emptying and the sky has changed from pink to a dark amber. Around them, leaves swirled around in the wind, forming a trail of red, orange, yellow and brown. A stray leaf landed on Haruka's head and as Makoto reached a hand out to pick off the leaf, he felt himself hold his breath when Haruka leaned in ever so slightly. Outstretched hand now trembling, Makoto lowered his hand from Haruka's hair to his chin, thumb and forefinger holding on with a feather-light touch. Tilting Haruka's jaw up, Makoto leaned in while Haruka angled his head to the side. The tips of their noses touched before Makoto stopped, released his grip from Haruka's jaw and rubbed the back of his head.

"Makoto.....", Haruka appeared startled and at a loss for words before Makoto took hold of both his hands and joined their foreheads together.

"Not here. Let's go home".

* * *

 

Haruka unlocked the front door of their apartment and groped around, searching for the light switch. When at long last he found it, he locked the door behind him, placed his keys on a hook mounted on the door and dragged Makoto over to the couch. Upon sitting, Haruka pulled Makoto down beside him, framed his face and stroked his thumbs across Makoto's cheeks and rested their foreheads together.

"I've wanted to do that for two years now", Haruka began, voice unbearably gentle and loving. "I've wanted to do this for three".

Haruka leaned in and pressed his lips to Makoto's, the touch lighter than a Summer breeze. Makoto tasted of coffee and cinnamon buns, which is exactly like how Haruka imagined he would. Pulling away, Haruka locked eyes with Makoto, sapphire meeting emerald. With a small, breathy laugh and a crinkle-eyed smile which melted Haruka's heart, Makoto brushed Haruka's bangs away, cradled the back of his head with strong hands and kissed Haruka, lips latching onto Haruka's bottom lip. They eventually broke apart to breathe and smile at each other, Makoto eventually laying Haruka down gently and slowly climbing on top of him before peppering his face with a string of quick pecks.

"I've wanted to do that for three years too", Makoto said with a blushing, close-eyed smile and a timid duck of his head. With a soft, playful slap on the cheek from Haruka, Makoto wrapped him in his arms and the two remained that way until they both fell asleep.

* * *

 

"Morning Haru, am I still looking as though I'm not sleeping?" Makoto called out cheerfully as he stepped into the cafè, thermos out and ready. As Haruka took the thermos and tapped in Makoto's unspoken order, he narrowed his eyes as he inspected Makoto's face.

"Yes, you're still not sleeping long enough. Honestly Makoto, you can't be a teacher if you can't get used to sleeping and waking early", Haruka stated. When he assumed no one was looking, Makoto slid his hand onto the counter and slowly laced his fingers with Haruka's.

"Well, it's scientifically proven that sleeping next to someone you love will improve one's sleep patterns", Makoto whispered with a wink. Haruka simply rolled his eyes and flicked Makoto on the forehead. "Don't believe everything Nagisa tells you. Besides, you're the one with the teaching major not him, so you should be the one giving out scientifically proven facts". Makoto pouted but pecked Haruka on the forehead anyway, which earned him a scowl and a grumbled "not when I'm at work Makoto". But Makoto knew Haruka's words have betrayed him when he blushed and the corner of his lips turned upward slightly, Haruka trying hard to fight the urge of smiling.

After Haruka prepared Makoto's sugar-free Vienna and placed a chocolate muffin in a brown paper bag, he took out a notepad and pen and quickly scribbled out a note for Makoto in his pretty cursive writing. After a quick scan of the cafè and confirming that the boss wasn't around, wait staff and baristas are preparing and taking orders and customers are preoccupied with whatever it is they are doing, Haru leaned foreward and gave a Makoto a long, lingering kiss.

"See you in a couple of hours", he whispered just centimetres away from Makoto's lips. "Yeah, will do", came the whispered reply from the same distance. When they at long last pulled away, Haruka put on his business face and handed Makoto his coffee and muffin, the note he wrote inside the brown paper bag with the muffin. When Makoto left he smiled to himself as he leaned against the counter and folded his arms, head shaking in disbelief. What was once his best friend is now his lover and this all happened in less than twenty four hours. Yesterday's events happened so fast that it remains difficult for Haruka to believe that it actually happened. Well, when he sucked his lips in and lightly grazed his teeth on them, he is able to remember and memorise the shape and texture of Makoto's own lips.

Yeah, yesterday's events did indeed happen and yeah, Haruka can get used to whatever those events have led to.

* * *

 

Makoto unfolded the note as he walked briskly towards the university campus entrance, thermos tucked under his arm and muffin balancing between his teeth.

_"When you finish at the university today and I finish at the cafè, let's go to the pool. You aren't working today so you have an entire section for yourself."_

Makoto smiled fondly as he placed the note in his pocket. So yeah, maybe he and his best friend have lost some of their old habits such as jogs and swims upon arrival in Tokyo and yeah, maybe he and his best friend haven't talked much about things other than university and work and yeah, maybe he and his best friend have been in love for what feels like an eternity. But this, Makoto thinks, is the perfect time to reconnect with Haru. To get back into their old habits, get back into talking about anything and everything. In a pool. A place where they have spent years connecting and reconnecting with each other. Perhaps one day a pool in a leisure centre during the afternoon will be replaced by a beach under the stars. But for now, it's time to take small steps, see where this shall lead them.

Well, Makoto thought, whatever their friendship has become, Makoto can easily and definitely get used to this.

 


End file.
